Luhnow returns to road to scout Draft options

By Brian McTaggart / MLB.com

HOUSTON -- Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow made another trip Friday to get a firsthand look at a player the team is considering taking with the No. 1 overall pick in next month's First-Year Player Draft. Luhnow, who isn't saying which players he's personally scouting, wasn't going to attend the first of the team's three pre-Draft workouts Sunday at the MLB Urban Youth Academy in Los Angeles.

Luhnow said the Astros aren't close to deciding which player they will take at No. 1 (they also pick 41st and 61st), but they are feeling better about the information they have collected.

"I think it's still going to be a ways away," he said. "We have to get together and talk about it and get everybody's opinion, but right now there's a little bit of a jumble for that first pick. We'll have to wait and see."

The Astros' second pre-Draft workout will be held May 27 in Atlanta, and the final workout is scheduled for May 30 at Minute Maid Park. The workouts are only for players who receive invitations from Astros scouts.

The Draft takes place from June 4-6, beginning with the first round and Compensation Round A on Monday, June 4, at 6 p.m. CT. The first night of the event will be broadcast live on MLB Network and streamed live on MLB.com. Rounds 2-40 will also be streamed live on MLB.com on June 5-6.

MLB.com's coverage, sponsored by CenturyLink, will include: Draft Central; the Top 100 Draft Prospects list; Draft Tracker, a live interactive application that includes a searchable database of every Draft-eligible player; and the Draft itself. You also can keep up to date at Draft Central and by following @MLBDraft on Twitter. Get into the Draft conversation by tagging your tweets with #mlbdraft.

Schafer likely out a few days with leg strain

HOUSTON -- Astros center fielder Jordan Schafer could be out until Wednesday after sustaining a lower leg muscle strain in the third inning of Saturday's 6-5 win over the Rangers.

Schafer hurt his leg when he had to leap over a diving Justin Maxwell in the outfield while trying to track down a fly ball off the bat of David Murphy, who wound up with a three-run, inside-the-park homer.

Schafer was taken for X-rays, which were negative. He was walking without a limp Sunday morning and said he felt better. Maxwell started in center field in place of Schafer, who's hitting .216 in May.

"I'm still a little sore today," Schafer said. "I think I should be OK in a day or two. It will be all right."

Schafer said he will undergo more tests if the leg is still bothering him in a few days. He was going to try to get on the field and run on Monday.

"Right now, the doctor doesn't feel there's really any need to have an MRI unless he wakes up tomorrow and it's not very good, and then we're going to have an MRI," Astros manager Brad Mills said. "We'll see how he is [Monday] and go from there."

Worth noting

 Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow will hold an online chat session with fans at Astros.com during Monday's game against the Cubs. The chat will begin at 7:30 p.m. CT. Luhnow will conduct the chat from the general manager's booth at Minute Maid Park.